Page 475 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 June 1989
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On the Friday before the Queen's birthday long weekend there was an incident outside a drinking establishment in Civic. A large number of people - one group being a bike gang, another group being people who were somewhat hostile to them - left a tavern and were on the street outside the tavern squaring up for a fight. There were a number of police there, trying to keep them calm, telling them all to go home, but the police had absolutely no power to enforce that. The police were sworn at. They could not tell who was swearing, so they could not use that one offence - use of unseemly words - and accordingly a fight occurred. As a result of that fight, one of the persons involved in the fight copped a beer glass in the face and received some 40 stitches.
A member: Where were the police then?
MR STEFANIAK: The police were there, and at that stage the police were able to intervene, and I understand a number of them were injured as well. That is the sort of situation that has to be nipped in the bud. If the police had the power here to move those people on, one fellow probably would not have 40 stitches in his face today.
Another situation is indeed a common one now, and that is around shopping centres, even suburban shopping centres. I received a copy of a letter sent to the Neighbourhood Watch by all the shopkeepers at the Rivett shops. It is dated 2 May 1989 and reads:
The undersigned shopkeepers of the Rivett Shopping centre wish to express to you their concern about loiterers (and many times drunken loiterers), arsonists and vandals who are systematically destroying our centre.
In the past month we have had
- two fires (one involving serious damage to a car),
- several cases of intimidation of shoppers, including children,
- an incident where a shopper was spat upon and her car urinated upon in the middle of the centre during peak afternoon business, by a gang of drunken louts.
The regular scene is one where shoppers, including young children, are abused in the foulest language, spat upon, and endangered by bicycles and skate boards on a most dangerously unguarded ramp.
Over several years, we have written to departments, ministers and members of parliament and have had little (and many times no) response.
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